Free version of DaVinci Resolve with support for 32K. Required: Apple M5!

DaVinci Resolve 20.3 with 32K support – the free version gains pro-level features. Check which Apple M5 devices enable grading at extreme resolutions.

The free DaVinci Resolve has just made a huge leap – from version 20.3, it allows for editing and grading at a resolution of up to 32K, provided you are using a device with an Apple M5 chip. This feature was previously reserved exclusively for the paid Studio edition. DaVinci Resolve is the standard in use both in Hollywood and among independent creators. During FlatpanelsHD's visits to film studios, it is Resolve that serves as the tool for colour correction and post-production. Now one of the most significant barriers — the 4K limit — has simply vanished.

Required devices: Apple M5 chip

Full 32K has only been available in Resolve Studio until now. The 20.3 update brings it to the free version, still at 60 fps. Blackmagic notes that a Mac with the Apple M5 chip is needed to work at such high resolution. The M5 chip can currently be found in:

MacBook Pro 14”,
iPad Pro (2025),
Apple Vision Pro (2025).

This is relatively accessible hardware that allows entry into a quality level that until recently could only be read about in industry reports. Resolve 20.3 also works on iPadOS, and support for background rendering has appeared on iPhones with the M4. In 2025, Apple plans to expand the chip family with M5 Pro, M5 Max, and M5 Ultra in upcoming Macs.

What’s the point of 32K?

As the industry is just slowly moving into 8K, 32K may sound like a futuristic whim. But the market has specific applications:

massive LED volumes for virtual productions,
projection domes,
custom signage formats,
high-end VFX,
materials from cameras such as Blackmagic URSA Cine 17K 65.

Working in a higher resolution than the output format also has archival significance and allows for preparing material for future remasters — while simultaneously improving the quality of the 4K version through better downscaling.